The Supervet in show first as never-before-seen case leaves cat owner sobbing in car park
THERE was a show first on The Supervet as a never-before seen case aired on the programme.
The Channel 4 show follows Dr Noel Fitzpatrick and his team as they attempt to care for animals that are suffering.
The 55-year-old veterinary surgeon uses innovative techniques to treat serious ailments.
However, he was left absolutely gobsmacked and devastated by one particular case.
In a recent episode of The Supervet, two cat owners appeared at the clinic with their Maine Coon cat named Lexie.
The pair noticed that she had been limping around the house, and Dr Noel initially revealed she had fractured one of her hips.
However, upon further examination the pet doctor decided to give the cat another X-ray, which revealed further bad news.
Dr Fitzpatrick confirmed: “I do have bad news, it is both sides, I’m sorry.
That was not evident in your previous x-ray pictures. It has gotten a lot worse since, which sadly is not uncommon.”
When showing the scan images to the owner, he explained how the femoral epiphysis had separated on both sides.
He added: “I’ve personally never seen a bilateral slipped capital femoral epiphysis in a female Maine Coon cat. Never, in 30 years of doing this.”
The condition also meant that the pet was constantly in pain.
Her owner tried to make light of the situation as she joked: “She’s literally one in a million. In a good way and in a bad way.”
The owners were then forced to make a tough decision, where one option was a simple procedure which would leave their cast without a joint.
However they also had the option of a far more intricate and complicated procedure, which would leave the chance of full mobility.
In his confessional, Dr Fitzpatrick confessed that he had two male Main Coon cats who are in the age group that could also get the condition.
He admitted: “If that happened, I’d be devastated. I really empathise with what Lexie’s family are going through.”
In the end, one of the owners was reduced to tears in the car park as they tried to decide what to do, however they went with the more complicated procedure.
Lexie was only able to have one hip joint replaced at a time, so the duo had to return to the clinic later after their pet recovered from the first procedure.
However at the end, viewers saw that she was back at home and back to her normal self whilst living happily with her owners.